


Countdown To Us

by anon_luv



Series: Countdown To Us [1]
Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama & Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Love Triangles, Love/Hate, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-07-03 00:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15807804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anon_luv/pseuds/anon_luv
Summary: Summary: What if your soulmate’s life was literally in the palm of your hand??Genre: Angst/Romance (Mostly Angst) Slight Comedy/fluff (dark comedy more than anything). SoulmateAu with a dash of Mythological/FantasyAUPairing: Yoongi X Reader, Taehyung X ReaderPOV : 1st POV. I know most of us are used to 2nd POV, but due to the emotions, I plan to convey throughout the series I have decided to go this route.Rating: M (I plan to cover some topics that might not be suitable for all ages)Fic Soundtrack (It will be updated and added on throughout the series[song recommendations are greatly appreciated])





	1. Countdown To Us [.1.]

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: I know I said I would finish I’ll never be her first but I am really inspired for this series and the complex planning I have been doing has me jumping like a jelly bean all over the place. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy. This fic I feel like will be angsty as hell, so fair warning your way before you start reading. Like all my previous fics I will disclose that my writing is not pink and fluffy. I like to be realistic about problems and scenarios. Nothing is black and white in my writing world. Happiness for one character doesn’t mean happiness for the other. I love ya’ll so much and I am so happy about all the feedback I have received. I have made a lot of friends through here and it makes me so happy. Thank you for your continuous support. Leave me loves and send me messages. Let me know what you think whether it is good or bad, feedback is always welcomed.
> 
> Word Count: 3.5k+

_**[Fic Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/g45cxmhl6wpy4d3v9oqlxniyc/playlist/2YwH9kSBJ0WlGgDb969mMx?si=3Eh30HxxRF-6nGDwwvjCMw) ** (It will be updated and added on throughout the series[song recommendations are greatly appreciated])_

 

__

 

> “ _ **What’s the difference?” I asked him. “Between the love of your life, and your soulmate?”  
>  **_
> 
> _**“One is a choice, and one is not.”** _
> 
> _**—  ― Tarryn Fisher, Mud Vein** _

* * *

##  _~~= After I lost Him=~~ _

It burned.

As if lava had replaced the blood that was running through my veins. The snow-covered ground that had dampened my clothes did nothing to soothe the ache that I had bestowed upon myself.

I had sinned, and now I was paying the price.

According to Kübler-Ross, there are 5 stages of grief people normally go through.

 **Denial**. It had been my greatest weakness, for I knew I loved Him with every single cell in my body, but he wasn’t the only one I had deep feelings for. I refused to admit how much he meant to me and had affected me in such a short amount of time. It was unfair for him to just barge into my life and rearrange everything I thought I knew. Even if the world seemed brighter when he was around, my eyes had grown accustomed to the dim monotony of my everyday life.

 **Anger**. I was mad at myself, at fate, and our Gods. Were they blind to see my heart had belonged to another long before I knew what the word soulmate signified? My heart, ripped in two when they decided to cast their arrows and condemn me to this downward spiral of confusion and despair.

 **Depression.**  It came and went like waves in an endless ocean. I was drowning in what-ifs, without any strength left to paddle myself to shore. The hopeful, encouraging voice that had kept me going in this fucked up world had been placed on mute.

 **Bargaining.**  Every memory from childhood to present, stained by a scarlet letter of shame, that people deemed immoral right off the bat, with no time to justify my actions. How could something so wrong, feel so right? The way his lips felt, moist and warm filled me with joy when I was all alone. They were familiar, they felt like home, yet the Gods were not on his side. We both were aware of the risks we had set ourselves up for as our relationship deepened, and it hadn’t phased me one bit at the time. I would’ve gone against the God of hell myself if it meant I could be by his side forever. Of course, that was until I met Him, my soulmate.

 **Acceptance.**  It hurt but it was inevitable. He had come in like a storm during a drought. Every single person in my life felt like a mere speck of sand, and he.. he was my desert.

The dark “0”(zero) on my palm was proof of how real all this fucking mess was, yet I somehow managed to skip back to the first stage as my soul was now in an endless loop of grief.

The white snow fell against my cheek in a slow continuous rhythm, as my ice cold tears created a path down my face. I was freezing to death I knew it, but my weakened heart had lost the will to beat.

I had lost Him.

  


 

##  _-  Before I had Him  -_

The breeze that blew in through the cracked opened window had me wrapped in a 3 layered blanket burrito as my body trembled. The ticking of the clock on my wall made me anxious as I waited for his shadow to sneak in, bringing along his warmth. My trembling body had been waiting patiently for 30 minutes and there was yet to be any sign of him. A ‘thud’ against the frame of my window pane had me jumping up to my feet desperately. His light golden brown hair popping in through the window as he pulled himself across the threshold of my room. My arms circled his waist in a needy attempt to fill in the gap between us as quickly as I could, in fear of him uttering a sentence I have come to fear  _ ~~‘I found my soulmate.’~~_

Tonight was not the night though as his lips found mine excitedly as a smile formed on his face in between kisses. Relief from my response to him was obvious as his hands roamed my body. We had spent 2 days apart, the longest we had gone without seeing each other in a while. As soon as our lips broke away from one another, I tightened my hold on him as he rested his chin on my head.

“I missed you so much” the deep timbre of his voice whispered only loud enough for me to hear.

“I missed you too” I replied as my eyes traveled to my hand, the pink tinted 50 unchanged. It was a foolish wish of mine that one day as my eyes landed on the man I have come to love the fire within me would burn and mark us as soulmates as if fate had gotten it wrong all this time. No, it wouldn’t happen. I knew it, but I could hope, wish, and pray. Regardless of this, I knew one thing for sure: I would love Tae my whole life….marked fated or not.

I was only five years old when I first crossed paths with that rectangular smile of his. I knew he was nothing but trouble, yet my little feet chased him around as if he was the sun itself. He was funny and bright, but from a very young age completely reckless.

Kim Taehyung and I were alike yet opposite in many ways, my cautious nature going down the drain as soon as he extended a hand pleadingly my way and asked me to follow him. The adventures we skipped through while we were hand in hand were cherished memories that slowly grew into something more as the seasons flew by, witnessing us grow from coloring book fanatics to pimpled teenagers and finally to young adults who resented the laws that had been established way before our birth.

The laws of our world were complex, but there was no one to blame but ourselves. Chaos and destruction by Earth’s population had enraged the Gods who had in exchange cursed us all, blackmailing us with our biggest weakness:  **Love**.

The mark appeared on our palms on our twenty-first winter, at the strike of midnight welcoming the new year. Taehyung had held me in his arms tightly that night as the painful sting of the flame burned our skin in sync, leaving in its path a tender pink scar with a “50” on the center of my left palm.

Disappointment had cursed through our veins, as we both cried and held each other, rocking ourselves to sleep. Fate had not deemed us fit for one another, but our stubborn hearts dictated otherwise. The fact that our scars were a dull pink instead of a charcoal black would not come in between us. That morning as I awoke to the rapid beating of his heartbeat as he ran his slim fingers through my hair, I knew that no matter what happened in the future I would always love Kim Taehyung.

  


Taehyung’s chest was warm and inviting as I laid my head against it. His arms circled my waist as he pulled me even closer into him. His scent awakened my instincts as my lips met his warm skin trailing a path of soft nibbles and kisses all the way from his collarbone to his plum soft lips.

He rested his palms against my cheeks as he absorbed himself in the heat of the kiss, and just as fast as it had started it had ended. Taehyung’s side smile made an appearance, but in his eyes, there was a clear sign of worry.

“I was scared” he whispered as his eyes looked down not able to meet mine.

“Me too” I replied right after. Every time he was away for more than a few hours a sense of panic flowed through my veins. The feeling of loss was already present and I had yet to lose him. I grasped onto him tighter not wanting to let go as if the physical attachment could be projected onto the soulmate curse that had befallen upon us mere humans.

“(Y/N),” he whispered into my hair softly as his deep voice soothed my oncoming nerves, “Let’s go out. I think you need a breather and these four walls are acting as a shield to the beautiful sky full of stars that is waiting for you outside”

The sound of yelling coming from my upset mother downstairs traveled up the stairs as it echoed through every corner, my soul ached for a temporary escape from this hell hole I deemed to be my home.

I turned to face Taehyung whose face had gradually grown nearer to mine allowing me to appreciate the light brown specks in his chocolate brown eyes. He pecked my lips leaving a sweet taste in my mouth as a small smile blossomed, ignorant of the discussion that was about to explode from the so-called soulmates that were my parents.

“The alley??” I asked as everything around me blurred into nothingness and my heart rejoiced in the epitome of happiness that was Taehyung in front of me.

“Wherever you want my love” He replied with a sweet side smile.

  


The night was chillier than expected, but the stars showed brighter than they had the past summer nights. Taehyung’s thin dark blue sweater now laid on my smaller frame as a barely there barrier against the light breeze. His motorcycle roared loudly through the almost deserted streets as the street lamps flickered on and off as if flashing our path to the dim lit side of town.

The silence that surrounded the downtown’s abandoned old train station was comforting, the only sound was that of the crickets chirping along with Taehyung’s beautiful bass tone humming to one of my favorite tunes as he sprayed onto the graffiti-filled wall. I inhaled a deep breath taking in the smell of the fresh cut grass, fresh spray paint, and the addictive scent of Kim Taehyung that engulfed my senses in the form of his sweater.

I closed my eyes as I laid down on the cold cracked pavement. The solid hard ground underneath me made me feel more at ease than the pillows back in my room.

“Taehyung, if  you could do anything you wanted at this very moment what would you do??” I asked as I took a tiny peek at his figure as he grabbed another can of paint off the floor.

He gave me a bright rectangular smile as his eyes almost shut completely, “I would run away with you and become invisible so no one could ever find us.

I giggled at his response, “You are so silly, boy”

Taehyung ran towards me and plopped himself right next to me, way too close for strangers to call us friends, but due to the vacant area surrounding us, I did not give a single fuck.

“What would you do babe??” he asked as he tucked in a loose strand of hair that had fallen in my face.

I scrunched up my nose at the tickling sensation the action had left on the side of my cheek. I looked into his eyes, and I knew that all I wanted was to be with him. I wish I could be with him.

If only things were that simple.

“I would convert myself into one selfish ass bitch. I would flip off our world and our Gods. I would kick fate in their privates and marry the hell out of you” I replied with a mirrored wide smile on my face.

Taehyung’s eyes sparkled with mischief at the thought of such a dangerous act, but in a blink of an eye the consequences of such a thing slapped us in the face. The reality of our situation erasing our smiles and replacing them with a grimace of embarrassment and fear. The untouched 50s in our palms had marked our destiny and that did not include us being together forever.

“Our 25th winter will be here next month. We have one more month… do you think our soulmates will be accepting of us once our last ceremony forces us to meet them?? Do you think..” I started rambling nervously as I placed my cold hand against Taehyung’s warm one.

He placed a long slender finger against my lips, “Shush Angel, we are going to be okay. I promise. We will find a way.” Taehyung rested his forehead against mine as he raised his pinky. I interlaced my pinky with his and then placed a kiss on his hand as he repeated my actions against my cold knuckles.

“I love you,” I said in a quiet whisper.

“I love you more. To infinity and beyond” he replied with a small giggle.

Taehyung jumped up to his feet leaving the serious conversation behind as if it had never happened. That was one of the most intriguing things about him, his emotions were like flashes of lightning in a cold rainy light, they were bright contrasting against the darkened sky but just as soon as they touched the ground they disappeared without leaving a trace behind.

Taehyung reached a hand towards where I still sat on the ground, “Come here babe, I did a thing”

I raised an eyebrow curiously as I stood up and took a hold of his outreached hand, “What have you done now Tae??”

“Ta-da,” he said proudly as he dragged me towards the wall he had been previously painting.

The silhouette of a girl was painted along with a heart that contained our initials in dark red which now adorned the previously scribbled black and white wall. I smiled as a lone tear traveled down my face. That is what Taehyung and I were to the world. We stood out like the red marking on a monotonous sea of soulmates. Our red was not to be seen magically different and beautifully mesmerizing, it signified disobedience and sin.

“Wow, it is beautiful Tae” I choked up as I embraced him tightly, “You are beautiful”

“What are you talking about babe?? You are beautiful...I am manly” he said smirking down at me. I tippy-toed to seal my lips against his when the blaring sound of a siren awoke us from the temporary moment of bliss.

“Let's RUN!!” he screamed loudly as the blue and red lights neared our previous spot.

My legs were sent into autopilot as my fight or flight response kicked in. We ran quickly out into the lonely streets seeking some sort of refuge as we saw the previous solitary DemiCop car turn into two.

The fear of being caught by one of them half Gods had my blood running cold. I had been witness to their ruthless and unforgiving demeanor countless of times. I grasped Taehyung’s hand tighter as I squeezed my free one into a fist feeling the 50 on my hand as an encouragement to run faster. I would not let my unknown soulmate suffer because of my carelessness.

Taehyung tried opening an old building’s door only to find it locked. He groaned aggravated until his eye caught a light in the distance. He pulled me behind him roughly to help me speed up. My breaths were coming out faster as a sense of panic started suffocating me. I felt myself drowning in the sea of what the consequences would be if we got caught, but Taehyung’s stubborn nature had me pacing forward to a convenience store that was luckily still open. We entered quickly trying to run through the isles. The store appeared abandoned at first sight, until the sound of a heavy object colliding against the floor caught my attention. My eyes traveled in the direction of the noise. My breathing slowly going back to normal as I dry coughed into the sleeve of Taehyung’s sweater. In the corner was a boy who appeared to be around our age. An itchiness in the center of my palm had me withdrawing my right hand from Taehyung’s larger one. I scratched unconsciously as I took in the figure walking towards us. He didn’t seem dangerous, quite the contrary he appeared bored and tired as if he did not care who we were and what we were doing hiding in the store as if we were children hiding from their parents.

The blue and red lights passed the store, but Taehyung continued hiding not noticing the man that had been approaching us from the other side of the store.

I looked up to inspect the young man’s face better because for some reason his mere presence had triggered a weird sensation in the pit of my stomach.

“Are you guys okay??” he asked in a deep monotonous voice. Taehyung turned to face the man now standing before us. My face barely reached his shoulders as my eyes traveled slowly up to his eyes. They were brown and warm like sweet hot chocolate in the middle of winter radiating heat and comfort to my very core. A burning sensation awakened in my chest as my hand scalded as if freshly brewed coffee had been poured into it.

The man’s eyes widened as he himself brought his own hand into his chest with a pained expression. The front door of the convenience store slammed open catching Taehyung’s full attention once again.

“Come out little humans, we only want to have a talk, that is all I promise” a raspy sickening voice called out ending the statement with a deep menacing chuckle causing chills to go up my spine. The fire that had devoured my hand not even a minute earlier dissipating into nothingness as fear now overtook my senses.

“Backdoor. Run.” the stranger whispered as he tapped Taehyung’s shoulder.

Taehyung nodded as he pulled me towards the back of the store. I looked back to where the young man stood with his dark brown hair that had been pulled back slightly with a dark bandana, the name ‘Yoongi’ printed across his right shirt pocket. My brain trying to memorize as much as it could from the short glance I was able to cast his way.

“Is there anything I can help you with ??” I could hear Yoongi ask the DemiCops as Taehyung dragged me out of the store and once again into a dark alley.

“Snap out of it babe. We can’t get caught” Taehyung reminded me as he pulled into a tight hug before he once again set off running as I trailed right behind him.

  


After about 3 miles of empty streets and alleyways, we finally had found an open clearing. Taehyung threw himself against the soft green dewed on grass. I collapsed right beside him as my heart beat erratically on my chest. I was not sure how my unfit self had survived the long marathon, but I was for once thanking the heavens for this miracle. Maybe the Gods were not all evil.

I smiled softly as my sweat dried against my skin leaving behind a sticky layer of moisture. Taehyung’s hand was still holding onto mine in a death grip. The reality of the current situation still settling in the pit of my stomach. The silence now was full of recent memories and actions that could’ve gone south and ruined not only our lives but those that we were destined to be with us as well. The guilt felt like vomit traveling up my esophagus until a pain shot from my palm up my arm.

“AHH!” I tried to scream as softly as the unbearable pain would let me.

  
Taehyung worried brown orbs traveled to my form quickly inspecting me from head to toe before settling on the hand I was now cradling against my chest.

His eyes widened with worry as he reached out to inspect the damage. I myself too scared to try and figure out what had happened.  Maybe I had fallen on glass or something as we were running. My blacked out state as we had sprinted along the city had left me with an almost fully erased hour of memory.

“What the fuck…” was all I heard as his finger lightly touched my hand sending another bolt of pain but now right up all the way to my chest.

Taehyung let go of my hand as if it had burned him and then he rapidly turned his own palm to face him. My confusion apparent as his wide eyes grew red with unshed tears. I looked down slowly at my hand, scared to turn it over. The context clues and intuition already previewing my fate as if it was mocking me for breaking the rules.

I turned my palm up to face me. The now burning black 50 in the center of my palm marking me as if I was just another cattle in the heard. My fate had been placed in front of me already and I had no option,  but try and reach out before my soulmate or myself could get hurt.

“Who is he? What?? How? When did this happen?? The convenience store...that guy” Taehyung whispered to himself as slow tears traveled down his cheeks mirroring my own.

“Yoongi… his name was Yoongi” I whispered more to myself than Taehyung who was equally as broken as myself. My arms ached to wrap themselves around him and console him, but something in my chest now deemed it wrong to.

A flash of brown hair, monotone deep voice, and brown curious eyes flashed in my memory.

The countdown to us had already begun, yet he was a stranger to me.

 

> _**Right soul, wrong lifetime  
>  ****—**   Frances Bean Cobain,2017_
> 
>  
> 
> __


	2. Chapter 2

> _**Genre: Romance/Angst Soulmate AU** _
> 
> _**Pairing: Yoongi X Reader, Taehyung X Reader** _
> 
> _**What if your soulmate’s life was literally in the palm of your hand?? What if your soulmate is not the same man you have been in love with your whole life?? Was your soulmate late, or had the fates done a grave mistake..** _
> 
> _**Word Count: 4.2K+** _
> 
> **_[♪](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/character/EighthNote.html) New Fic Playlist  [♪](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/character/EighthNote.html)  (Will be updated as story progresses)_ **
> 
> ****
> 
> _**Author’s Note: Sorry I took so long loves. I have been super busy at work, and with everything going on writing has been a bit slow. I was able to finish this chapter and almost finish a few other’s of my WIPs. I am hoping you all enjoy this story. I promise it is going somewhere. The begining is slow, but I am so excited to show you all what I have planned for this. This story has been my favorite to plan, since I literally made up the whole world myself. Let me know what you all think :D** _
> 
> __
> 
> _**LEAVE ME FEEDBACK!! Good or bad it is always appreciated since it helps me develop as a writer. Minor Grammar mistakes are possible ( I will come back and reedit about a million times I promise). It takes me a lot to get the confidence to post, and when I do I love to see ya’ll comments and reblogs. It encourages me. So thank you guys :D** _

  


 

 

##  **_  
_**_[♪](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/character/EighthNote.html) It’s like I told you;  
_ _If you stay, I stay.[♪](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/character/EighthNote.html)   
_ _—  Lana Del Rey_

* * *

 

It was like a ticking time bomb. It marked the beginning of what our society had deemed as normal, and it marked the end of what I had classified as my normal. 

Taehyung's brown eyes had not left my figure the whole way home, and now as we laid in bed his voice was silent, but his trembling hand as it traced the darkened ‘50’ in my palm communicated the internal dilemma tonight had pitched our way.

“You know I love you… nothing has changed” my quiet raspy voice rang through the quiet room shocking us both.

“Nothing has changed... yet” Taehyung replied in a stronger voice than that of my own. Taehyung had always been brave, he had traveled through cities and forests bringing back full notebooks with stories of high mountaintops filled with white cold snow and drawings of an endless row of lit up buildings. Everything in my imagination vivid with the descriptions he planted to bloom within my brain. Trails I could only visit in my dreams for now because I had been condemned with strict, close minded parents.

“No, don’t say that… we have battled through rougher storms”, I replied grasping his sun kissed face between my hands, “You and I are not just for nows. We are forevers. We are eternal”

Taehyung avoided my eyes as he sat up, “Do you really believe that (y/n), you think we can go on like nothing happened while that clock in your hand ticks synchronized with each of his heartbeats. This soulmate shit is not a joke”

I looked at him petrified, “I will not hurt him. I will not misbehave and have his years stolen if that is what you think…”

Taehyung nodded, “(Y/N), you can’t fight fate”

“I know I can’t. A new year is about to begin, and you will be expected at the soulmate ceremony.  You will meet your soulmate that night, what are you going to do about that??” I asked as fear and rage consumed me from the inside out.

“I am going to talk to her, and I will explain my heart already belongs to someone else.  I will be her friend; not her lover.” Taehyung confidently replied, “I am strong and sure of who is the true owner of my heart”

I gulped down nervously. I had almost forgotten the soulmate ceremony would arrive along with the strongest storms of winter, and with our 25th year of life it would be our turn to walk on forward to be matched if we hadn’t run into our other half’s yet. Young adults from all over the world met up in the largest ceremony of the year in the capital/holy city where The Fates and Aphrodite made a guest appearance to finish matching the lone souls who had yet to have their mark burn into their skin.

The ‘50’. The curse. The countdown in my palm. Each number down is one less year, not for me but for him…. my soulmate. I had behaved in the eyes of my peers and superiors to keep his years intact for when I would finally encounter him, I would be able to move on forward without guilt. His lifespan untouched. 50 years from when our eyes would meet for this first time his would end. My soulmate would have a full life.

“I am strong too” I stubbornly said as my eyes watered and voice trembled. The sting in my palm pulsating.

“Did he have a 50 too??” Taehyung asked trying to drop the subject of his own soulmate that was still somewhere out there walking unknown to him in this world.

I shrugged my shoulders, I had not bothered to check at the moment with everything that was going, “I am not sure”

Taehyung stood up from the bed quickly rushing towards his sweater, “Wait, where are you doing??”

“We have to find him” he rushed out, “I will go, you stay here it is almost morning”

“No Tae, wait…” I rushed to him, “It is late, he probably isn’t there anymore. We can go tomorrow. Together.”

Taehyung stayed silent at the suggestion, his eyes glimmering with the internal battle brimming from these nights’ events.

“Please babe. He didn’t look like a bad person. I highly doubt he would sabotage my years by misbehaving. He didn’t seem very scared of the demigods either which is a good sign…. yes??”

Taehyung nodded, “Fine, but tomorrow we will head that way around the time we last saw him alright?? Together??”

I nodded, “Together”

 

  


 

 

I lied. During the night as I rested entangled within Taehyung’s warmth I didn’t think about those brown orbs or rosy lips against the pale skin of my soulmate. I didn’t dream about his deep voice or long slender fingers interlacing with mine. I didn’t dream about him, but as soon as the warm rays from the sun tickled my skin awake everything about the stranger from last night intrigued me. The bed was empty beside me, just like it was almost every morning after a night spend with Taehyung. My mom’s frightening yells would scare him away from the comfort of my bed sheets and into the cool early dim mornings.

I stretched as my bare feet hit the floor, my impulsive ass had always been curious of what fate had chosen for me. Clearly Fate was blind to not see my one and truly soulmate had been with me all along; Taehyung.

I put on one of Taehyung’s old hoodies, the sleeves long enough to cover my hands from curious eyes.

“Mom I am heading out” I yelled loudly and jogged away before I could hear her scream out a response.

I traveled the street and alleys quickly, not bothering to stop and interact with neighbors or acquaintances. My mind had a mission, and that was to find the stranger and get rid of these nagging thoughts that had been attacking me since my eyes opened this morning.

A fluttering feeling of what I was declaring to be just nerves had doubled with every step, the dialogue I had relentlessly practiced repeatedly on the way to the convenience store had been thrown out the window as soon as it came in sight. I pulled up the hoodie trying to block my face from the world as I walked on in. I took a deep breath of encouragement as I stepped into the lonely store. His silhouette taunting me from outside the window throwing doubts my way as I fast paced into the candy isle. A lollipop hung from his mouth as he read a magazine.

“Welcome, let me know if you need help” his deep voice traveled throughout the small store shaking the daylights out of me, goosebumps traveled up my arm as my eyes found his.

I deviated my line of sight quickly hoping not to get recognized only to miserably fail as I saw him walking towards me, the magazine left abandoned at the counter. I turned to face him with a KitKat chocolate bar in hand.

His dark brown hair was silkier than I had remembered, the need to run my fingers through it had me cracking my knuckles nervously, the forgotten candy now laying on the floor.

The handsome stranger/soulmate bend down to pick it up before it was left abandoned. He looked into my eyes as he cautiously touched my arm pulling it towards him. He very slowly and carefully pulled up my sleeve revealing the mark in my palm as he placed the forgotten candy on it.

I looked towards his hand then, the dark 50 printed on his own reflecting my life intact and mesmerizing at the same time. A sigh of relief escaped my lips, the fear that had gathered in the pit of my stomach released with that lone deep breath.

“My name is Yoongi” he stated with a deep voice and a nervous bite of his lip.

“(Y/N)” I said trying to sound strong yet spilling out a small tremble at the end of my name.

Yoongi’s eyes traveled along my face making me self-conscious as I lowered down my hoodie allowing him to get the full image of what fate had put in his path. Yoongi looked at my palm once again and then back to his own. I could hear the gears turning in his head with the way his eyes traveled from my hand to his.

I stayed silent. I was unsure of what to say as I let my own eyes travel along his handsome features. I couldn’t help but compare Taehyung to Yoongi. They were both so different, yet they both had an unknown power over me. I had to look at the facts though. Taehyung had been slow to grow. Natural. Yoongi had been fast and unexpected. Fate/Fake.

Yoongi’s deep timbre brought me back to the present, “We need to talk”

I nodded reluctantly, “That we do”

 

  


 

 

“My mom is dying” Yoongi said breaking the silence that had been established from the moment he escorted me to a small break room placed in the back of the store.

Yoongi stood tall against the wooden worn-down counter as I sat in a raggedy old plastic chair placed about 5 feet away from where he was. The air was thick and the need to run into his arms had strangely been creeping up on me as an unwelcome runny nose in a rainy winter day. Annoying, overwhelming, and part of the norm as per society deemed it, but I hadn’t expected the effect of a soulmate to overrule my senses the way it had been. His mere scent had me trembling in place, and his voice soothed me in ways no one else had in my life. He felt familiar, like coming home to your own bed after spending weeks away from it. Safe. I did not like it.

I nodded not sure of what to say as I coughed awkwardly squeaking out an, “I am sorry about that”

Yoongi smiled a bit my way, “It is in no way your fault, but I do need a favor from you.”

“What?” I asked a bit confused to where this conversation was heading to.

“How long??” He asked as he stared straight into my eyes.

I tilted my head like a confused puppy unsure of what he was talking about.

Yoongi raised an eyebrow as a smirk crawled its way into his handsome features, “How long have you been together with…”

“Tae… his name is Taehyung. We have been together for years now… we have been best friends since we were children, and stuff just started building up from that…” I started building excuses for my relationship with Taehyung unconsciously, my tongue feeling heavy against my lips as my mouth moved on its own.

Yoongi carefully inspected my face as if he was trying to read more into the words that were spilling out of my lips, “Hmm… you know you don’t have to do that right??”

“Excuse me… What am I doing??”

“This soulmate thing doesn’t have to change a thing. It is your decision. You are free to love and be with whoever you want to be with. I am no one to tell you what you should or should not do. I am not going to do that to you” Yoongi said, his voice soft with a small sprinkle of concern.

“Oh… I… thank you” I said now my face hot, unable to meet his brown eyes.

“OK. Now about that favor… I need you to pretend to be okay with this whole thing. I mean I know I just said I was okay with you not being with me, and I mean it, but you see my mom is a firm believer in fate and soulmates. You see her, and my father were stubborn kids and then when they met and everything fell into place… it was too late for them, she doesn’t want me to go through the same thing” he rushed out no longer looking at me, but instead looking dead set on the floor.

“You mean for me to pretend to be accepting of our bond?” I asked.

“Yeah, just for a bit… like I said she doesn’t have very long” he whispered now looking at me pleadingly.

“How long did they… I am sorry I shouldn’t ask”

“No, it’s okay.” he said, “From the time they met… he was down to 20 years and she was down to 25 years left. We estimate she has less than one month left”

“More than half?” I asked.

Yoongi just nodded.

I raised my palm to him, the 50 clear as day in my palm, untouched he still had a lifetime ahead.

He walked forward his hand reaching out to my palm as he eyed me questioningly as if asking for permission before he carefully traced the 50 in my palm just like Taehyung had done last night. Unlike Tae’s burning painful touch, Yoongi’s felt almost minty as if he was soothing the recent burn with an almost fresh cold sensation with just the graze of his fingertip.

My hand wrapped around his before I knew what I was doing. I took my time inspecting his long pale fingers and his visible veins, and then the 50 that resided right in the middle of his own palm. He interlaced his fingers with mine and I was more than accepting, the need to be close to him finally taking over. Yoongi smile and I smiled back.

“It’s nice isn’t it” I asked unsure of why I was saying such things when a second ago I had confessed of loving another man, “I know it’s just the soulmate bond triggering all this but it’s nice”

Yoongi let go of my hand quickly and took a step back, “Yeah the soulmate bond, anyway do you think you can come over tomorrow night for dinner??” His soft tone had been thrown out the window, his voice now deeper and distant.

“Yeah sure. Tomorrow is fine” I replied standing up from the chair. I started walking towards the exit as I could feel Yoongi following close behind. Taehyung’s face flashed through my mind reminding me of the planned visit for tonight.

I turned quickly around only to bump into Yoongi’s chest. His body warmth sending a swarm of chills up my spine, “Actually, I need a favor as well.” I looked up to meet his eyes, his closeness making my breath come in and out more rapidly, borderline hyperventilating as I drowned in his brown eyes. What I was about to say left forgotten as I counted each and every eyelash that framed his eyes.

Yoongi’s hand caressed my cheek softly and for a second, I let myself be consumed by his touch, but then Yoongi’s once again soft caring voice spoke out, “What favor?”

I snapped back to reality and reluctantly took a step back as Yoongi’s hand fell to his side, “Can you not tell Tae I came to see you today?? He wants to come talk later on tonight, and I wanted to wait…but...I… just...I”

Yoongi nodded, “Don’t worry about it. I am assuming the favor I asked from you, should be kept on the down low as well, right?”

I nodded, ‘Yeah I don’t think he would be very fond of the idea of us spending too much time together.”

Yoongi send a sad looking smile my way, “I guess I will see you tonight then”

I nodded, “Later Yoongi”

I turned once again towards the exit, as my feet grew heavier and heavier each step, I took away from him. It was like my body wanted something my heart had rejected. My own body was rejecting my decision. I looked back to wave Yoongi one last goodbye. He send a bright smile my way as he waved back, but I could have sworn his eyes were anything but happy.

 

  


 

 

Darkness came quicker than I had expected and with the shadows came Taehyung. He jumped up my window and into my room as if he had some kind of superpower. He ran forth embracing me as if he had been gone for years, his hands trembled as he caressed my face slowly, I could see relief in his facial expression as I hugged him back. My lips sprinkled kisses all over his face finally searching his lips in an earth-shaking kiss. The warmth of his mouth coating mine sweet and slowly taking our time to rediscover each other as my hands traveled underneath his shirt on his bare back.

Taehyung smiled as he separated himself from me, “Not so quick there princess, we have places to go tonight”

I sighed annoyed, “Can’t we just cuddle for a little bit???”

“We can cuddle, kiss, and do anything you want on the way back, but we got to start heading out. I know you well darling, and I know once you get into bed it will be almost impossible to rip you away from those sheets” Taehyung said as he walked to my closet pulling out one of his old hoodies. He helped me wiggle my way into it, and as soon as my head had popped up, he placed a soft kiss on my forehead, “It is chilly outside”

I nodded, “Looks like we might be getting some storms too, so let’s get this over and done with quickly”

Quietly we both made our way out into the shadows of the night. The town was almost clear of wandering souls as the moon lit the path to the little store.

“Are you nervous??” I heard Taehyung ask after a long period of silence.

“No, why should I be??” I asked in return.

“This is your soulmate we are going to be seeing, and he is right up the street” he replied as he held onto my hand a little tighter.

“And you are the love of my life. I am fine, don’t worry about it. Are you nervous??” I asked curiously as I peeked at his beautifully sculptured profile.

“No, just a bit possessive to be honest… and jealous. This man won the lottery with my woman. It is only normal for me to feel a bit … you know…” Taehyung joked around as the store came into sight.

Taehyung walked inside first. I walked closely behind him curious of how things would develop now that it was known that the stranger before him was my soulmate. Yoongi stood right in front of the counter as if he was waiting for us. He was dressed in dark tight jeans and a white plain shirt that framed his body perfectly. There was a glint of something in his eyes I could not pinpoint as he eyed Taehyung and I from head to toe making me a bit weak in the knees when we met each other’s eyes.

“Good evening, can I help you with something??” Yoongi smirked towards Taehyung. The hostile environment overwhelmed my senses as I hid myself behind one of the isles.

“Cut the crap”, Taehyung responded surprising me, “You know why we are here. I doubt you would be stupid enough...”

“Cut it out Taehyung” I heard my voice ring out, “You promised we weren’t going to make a huge scene out of this, so please stop this rabid dog attitude and let’s do this peacefully, ok?”

Taehyung looked at me with betrayal written all over his handsome face, no more teasing smile my way as it was now replaced with an upset pout similar to that of a five-year-old who had just gotten grounded

“Babe please” I said softly, and his demeanor changed drastically with that simple plead. I could see him melt in front of my eyes as his shoulder’s relaxed and his found turned into a little smile as the word babe slipped passed my lips.

Yoongi looked down at his feet as if in deep thought, he then proceeded to lock the front door, “It was closing time anyway” he said as he shrugged his shoulders uncaringly.

Taehyung rolled his eyes as Yoongi signed for us to follow him to the back where him and I had spoken previously. The room looked a bit homier than before as there was now a row of snacks in a corner. I was assuming Yoongi had set up for us, and the fact he had been as thoughtful enough to do such a kind thing set a few butterflies off in my stomach. I smiled at the small cute detail as my eyes wondered around the goodies.

“Would you like some chips or cookies??” Yoongi asked, “There is also some juice here…”

“Yes please” “We are not hungry” rang simultaneously.

Taehyung glared at me as I walked forward and grabbed a juice box and cookies, “Thank you”

Taehyung cleared his throat awkwardly before eye contact could even be made between Yoongi and I, “Anyway, I am Taehyung, and this is (Y/N). I am sorry about earlier, but due to the circumstances… I didn’t really know how to act”

Yoongi nodded understandingly, “Name is Yoongi, and I get it. Take a seat. Look I am not going to try and force myself onto her or anything if that is what you are worried about. Being soulmates doesn’t always mean we have to be together”

My heart surprisingly dropped at that comment. I was with Taehyung I shouldn’t had felt that way, but I did. My bag of chocolate chip cookies no longer looked appetizing after that. I snapped back into reality as Taehyung pulled a chair out for me to sit on.

“Thank you for being understanding, but that is not all I came here to talk about” Taehyung proceeded to say even catching me by surprise as I sat on the chair.

“Wait it isn’t??” I asked confused myself.

Yoongi raised an eyebrow my way as if in sneaking in a gesture my way.

“What’s going on??” Yoongi asked intrigued.

“I met an unmarked” Taehyung monotonously stated as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“A what??” I asked completely uneducated on the matter as Yoongi’s eyes widened with surprise.

Yoongi responded this time, “An unmarked is an uncursed. In other words, a person without a dictated soulmate.” He turned towards Taehyung now, “How?? I have only heard rumors of such people and situations”

“Same. My friend Jimin introduced me to him. Jimin’s mark is fading. They think his soulmate died in an unexpected accident and he wants to get rematched, so he was seeking out in dark places for an answer to his prayers, and then he ran into him. His name is Namjoon and he said he could help us break the curse and get us rematched so I can be with (y/n) and you can find a soulmate who will be able to correspond your feelings” Taehyung said excitedly.

Yoongi scrunched up his nose worriedly, “That doesn’t sound like it would be easy though. How does he propose we do such thing??”

My mouth dropped in shock. The realization of what we would probably have to go through shook me senseless and fear started to cloud my mind. I knew what Taehyung was capable of and what he would do to seek out what he is looking for He had never been one to back out of a challenge, and for that I dreaded for the worse possible outcome. For the first time in my life my admiration for his bravery and sense of adventure turned into fear of the unknown.

“Travel. A country away before the fates get to the capital. Make a deal in exchange for the freedom of you both” Taehyung replied as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

Yoongi’s grimaced Taehyung’s way, his eyes filled with worry. His mom. Yoongi couldn’t travel, especially not at this time.

“No, we can’t. That sounds way too dangerous Taehyung” I plead his way, “We can just arrange something between the three of us. Simple and without any traveling or dangers.”

“(Y/N), Yoongi deserves love as well, and we would be affecting his love life and way of leaving. He would be linked to you just like you are to him. The soulmate bond goes both ways. You wouldn’t be the only one suffering because of the fates’ mistake” Taehyung tried reasoning with me as he took a hold of my face and quickly pecked my lips. For the first time in my life his touch did not soothe my uneasiness. It felt wrong. I separated myself quickly from him and turned towards Yoongi. His face turned to stone without a single feeling encrypted in his pink lips.

“When do we have to leave??” Yoongi asked monotonously.

“You don’t have to...” I started only to be cut off by Taehyung enthusiastic response.

“This weekend. A group of them are going to strike deals and they invited us along” Tae smiled towards Yoongi, “I can pay for food and any necessary items for the travel”

“Not necessary. I will go” he replied.

“Wait, but…” I said trying to halt the escalating plans.

Yoongi turned to face me, his face blank of emotion, “I will go”

 

##  **_★ The universe, I’d learned, was never, ever kidding. It would take whatever it wanted, and it would never give it back. ★  
_** ** _—  Cheryl Strayed_**

 

 


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